


The Inferno Under Hawkins

by TheHorae



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Jim "Chief" Hopper Parent-Child Relationship, F/M, Hawkins (Stranger Things), Inspired by Stranger Things (TV 2016), Literal Satan, No Russians in Hawkins (Stranger Things), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Original Character, Past Domestic Violence, Religious Cults, The Divine Comedy, also hell, dante's inferno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:46:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28906572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHorae/pseuds/TheHorae
Summary: Sarah Jones is a new teacher who just accepted her first job at Hawkins Middle School. She expected to be bored in a town as small as Hawkins and to escape from a tough past, but she is soon shaken to the core by a hellish mystery that her students bring to her attention. All she knows is that she'll go through Hell and back before one of her students is harmed.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jim "Chief" Hopper/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Welcome to Hawkins

Calling Hawkins a quiet town would probably be the understatement of the century. Nestled in the depths of rural Indiana, Hawkins was nothing more than a fly-over town at best, and a gaping hole of boredom at worst. So when Sarah was offered a teaching job at the middle school there, she scoffed. Initially. Fresh out of teacher’s college, the young woman was desperate to cut her teaching teeth, and after two years of student-teaching in the middle of nowhere upstate New York, the promise of more quiet in Hawkins made her feel sick. But after being denied from multiple more promising schools, Sarah came back to that offer from Hawkins Middle school. Practically holding her nose as she accepted, she packed up her life in New York and made the move to Indiana.   
As she drove through the rural state, her mind wandered. She knew that her time in this dinky little town would probably be short- just long enough to beef up her resume- and she would be back out in the world. But she couldn’t help but wonder if this could end up better than she predicted. A little optimism never hurt anyone, she figured. If it ended up shitty, she’d high-tail it out of there and never look back, no harm done. She soon passed a road sign with “Welcome to Hawkins” plastered on it and felt her heart drop. She could see the headline of a make-believe newspaper flash in her head saying: “Small town teacher, faded into obscurity before hitting 30”. She shook the thought from her head and tried to focus on the positives. A new place hopefully meant new friends and lord did she need them. Her New York friends all went separate ways after graduating and failed to stay in touch. Nothing personal of course, it’s hard to keep in touch when your only friends are cast to the four corners. Maybe she’d meet some cool people around town, or have a friendly neighbour, or even meet some fun parents at the inevitable student-teacher meetings. The thought of being a legitimate teacher also made Sarah feel a little excited, especially since she was able to snag the position of English teacher. The thought of meeting a bunch of new kids and helping them learn all by herself was thrilling, and it was a major bright spot in moving to this nowhere town.   
As she entered the town proper, she was surprised to see that it was quite quaint. There were a bunch of small mom and pop stores, and a larger general store attached to a plaza. At least this place has character, she thought. She felt a smile cross her face as she drove past the large library, making a mental note to check it out once she was settled. Reaching into the glove compartment, she pulled out a sheet of paper with the address to her new house scrawled on it. She noticed that it was in a neighborhood not too far away from the town center. 12 Mulberry street. She thanked her stars that after years of scrimping and saving her way through school, she was able to afford her own house. She remembered the ad that her mom had pointed out to her, and she instantly feel in love with the cute little house. Turning down Mulberry, she rolled her window down to look for house number 12. Her mouth split into a massive smile when she laid eyes on her new house. It wasn’t a family home or anything, but it was so damn cute. It was a cozy bungalow, with white and brown panelling and a nice stone porch. The front door looked to be quality wood and was rounded at the top. It was cottagey, and the big oak in the front yard helped to sell the illusion of a little cabin. She pulled her red Delta into the driveway, and nearly kicked her door open, eager to move in. She had called her realtor the previous day, and all that she needed to do was haul her shit into the house. Popping the truck, she grabbed one of the bigger boxes and headed into the house. It was just as cozy on the inside as it was on the outside. Dark vinyl floors, light grey wallpaper, a nice sized kitchen and living area; it was a little bland, but Sarah would liven it up once her furniture arrived. She loaded all of her boxes out of her car and hauled them into the house, finishing just as the moving truck with her furniture arrived. She greeted the movers and instructed them on the placement of things, as well as helped with moving the furniture where she could. It took a solid three hours, but when they finished it was like a dream. She felt like it was actually her home, not just her house.   
The sun had begun it’s descent, but Sarah felt the need to explore the town a bit. Jumping back into the Delta, she decided that she’d pay a visit to the general store to get some necessities and decorations for her classroom. As she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed that it was pretty much empty, save for a couple spaced-out cars. “the perks of small-town living,” she thought, “I’ll probably never have to fight for a parking spot.” She leaned over and pulled her wallet out of the glove compartment, shoving it into her dress pocket along with her keys. As she stepped out of the car, she noticed that the air was becoming crisp- a sign of the end of summer. Within the next couple weeks the leaves would begin to turn, and she’d be almost halfway through her first year of teaching. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought.   
She made her way to the front door of the shop and pulled it open, sighing a little at the warm air that greeted her from inside. It was a decent sized store, and Sarah assumed that it was once the hub for shopping in this area, before the mall she passed on the way in showed up.   
“Hello! How can I help you?” A chipper voice pulled Sarah from her thoughts, and she turned to see the store clerk waving at her from behind her till. She was a small woman, no more than 5’3, with middle-length brown hair and bangs. She looked to be dressed in clothes that a young boy would wear, and Sarah wondered if she had sons.   
“Hi! I’m looking for decorations for a classroom; would you happen to have some here?” She asked, walking up to the till.   
“We do! Aisle 5 and 6 are mostly decorations, and 7 has craft supplies.” The clerk nodded, pointing in the direction of the aisles.  
“Awesome. Thanks- “Sarah peeked at her nametag, “Joyce.”   
“Not a problem.” The smaller woman grinned.   
Sarah walked off into the aisles, inspecting the multiple decorations. There weren’t very many that weren’t holiday themed, but she found a few things she could use.   
“If you don’t mind me asking,” She heard Joyce call over,” Are you the new English teacher at the middle school?”   
“I am! Word travels fast around here.” Sarah chuckled, grabbing a basket for her decorations and returning to the till.   
“That’s Hawkins for you.” Joyce said, scanning Sarah’s items.   
“My son, Will, goes to Hawkins middle.” She added, grabbing a bag.  
“Oh really? What subjects does he like?” Sarah asked.  
“He loves his science class, and he and his friends are all totally into the A/V club, but he’s always enjoyed his English classes, too.”   
“A/V club, huh? That’s so cool. Is he a techy?”   
“His friends are more than he is, but I think he’s fascinated with all that stuff all the same. They all use walkie-talkies to talk to each other.” Joyce smiled fondly.   
“That’s so fun! Kids these days are so resourceful.” Sarah returned her smile, paying and packing her things into her bag.   
“Don’t I know it.” Joyce agreed, chuckling.   
A comfortable silence settled over the two women as Sarah checked her watch. It was already almost 6, and she hadn’t completed her lesson plan for the next day. As much as she liked talking with Joyce, she had to hit the road.  
“Well Joyce, I just remembered I have a lesson plan to finish, so I’ve gotta run. Thanks so much for your help! It was great meeting you!” She grinned, picking up her bag.  
“It was great meeting you too,” Joyce paused, obviously gesturing for Sarah to tell her her name.  
“Oh god, sorry!” Sarah giggled, “I’m Sarah. Sarah Jones.”  
“Well, it was really nice meeting you Sarah! Welcome to Hawkins.”  
“Thanks, Joyce. I’m looking forward to meeting Will and his A/V buddies!”  
“I’m sure they’ll love you!” Joyce replied, waving as Sarah left the store.


	2. Don't be Nervous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah prepares for her first day at Hawkins Middle School. She feels a little nervous, but a letter from her mom helps a lot.

Sarah drove home with a smile on her face, happy to have met a potential new friend. As she pulled the Delta into her driveway and removed her bag from the back, her mind switched to her lesson plan, and with her mind focused on the next day, nerves began to creep in. She was beyond excited to meet her class and get the school year started, but she couldn’t help but feel a little scared about it. What if her kids didn’t like her? What if her lesson was boring? She tried to shove the thoughts aside as she kicked her front door closed. Dropping her bag on her kitchen counter, she walked over to a large brown briefcase on her couch. Plopping down beside it with a sigh, she pulled the large case on her lap and popped it open. To her surprise, a letter fluttered out of the top compartment and landed on her lap. Picking it up, she noticed her name was written on it in flowing cursive. “Oh mom.” She sighed, opening the envelope and sliding the letter out. 

Dear Sarah,  
First of all, I hope that your move went well. I know better than anyone that moving can be a stressful experience, and I hope you’re reading this with a glass of wine on hand. Second of all, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I know that moving to Hawkins was the last thing you wanted to do, but I’m proud of you for going. I have a very good feeling about it, trust me. I just know that your dad would be bragging about you all over town if he was here. I can practically hear him saying “that girl of mine has the world in an iron grip, she’s gonna run the whole damn show one day.” We’re all so proud of you, honey. I know you’re probably feeling anxious right now, but I wrote this letter to reassure you, which is what I’m going to do. You are so talented. A gifted teacher inside and out, and I know that your kids are going to adore you. Just do your best and be yourself and you’ll be just fine. Your siblings send their love, and Julia told me to tell you to try and go on at least one date if you can. I love you, sweetheart.   
Love,   
Mom

Sarah felt her lips quiver with emotion as she set the letter down. Her mom always knew what to say. She moved her briefcase off her lap and walked to her fridge, sticking the letter to the door with a magnet. She glanced at her phone for a second, wondering if she should give her mom a ring. Checking her watch, she remembered that her mom would be at her book club and decided that she’d call tomorrow. “I can tell her about my first day, then.” She nodded to herself, walking back to her briefcase on the couch. For the next couple hours she worked on her lesson plan, perfecting it as best as she could before passing out for the night. She packed all her papers back into the case and placed it by the front door so she wouldn’t forget it the next morning, and practically stumbled into her bedroom. She slipped into her pajamas and brushed her teeth as her eyes began to droop with exhaustion from the day. She tried her best to shut out the nervous thoughts that clouded her mind by putting on some quiet music. She reassured herself in the mirror, staring deeply into her own eyes as she did. “You’re a good teacher, you’ll be fine.” She said aloud, smacking the bathroom counter triumphantly. She then flung herself into bed and set her alarm for 6 am, making sure that she’d have plenty of time to decorate her classroom before school started at 9. 

The night went by quickly, and soon Sarah was jarred awake by the shrieking of her alarm. She slammed her hand down on the snooze button with such force that it was surprising that the whole clock didn’t turn to dust with the impact. With a groan, she hoisted herself up and out of bed, trying her best to rub the sleep out of her eyes. “6 in the morning shouldn’t exist.” She mumbled to herself as she wandered into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she laid out her clothes for the day. She wanted something that would say “Hi, I’m the new teacher and I’m cool but not afraid to set you straight.” Unfortunately, she didn’t have an outfit that made a statement like that, so she had to work with what she had. She settled on a nice pair of jeans, a cozy turtleneck, and her favorite pair of boots. She looked hip, but not too hip that she’d be mistaken for one of her students. As a final touch, she took her favorite tortoise shell barrette and clipped half of her long, dark hair up, leaving most of it to cascade down her back. After applying some natural looking makeup, she was ready for the day. Grabbing her decorations, her briefcase, and a banana, she was out the door. The drive to the school went quickly, and she was soon at the front of the building. It was larger than she had thought, and it looked to be in pretty decent condition. She smiled at the large mural of a pawprint that covered the majority of the front of the building. “Go cubs.” She smirked, pulling her bag of decorations and briefcase out of the Delta. She looked to be the only one at the school, which made sense given the early hour. She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for asking for the key to the school before she moved. Unlocking the front door, she entered the building and was greeted with a smell that almost all schools had. An interesting mix of dust, chalk, and pencils. Reaching into her front pocket, she pulled out a slip of paper with her classroom number on it. Room 12. She walked around for a few minutes before finding the room and stepping inside. It was effectively empty, except for about 17 desks for the students and the large desk at the front of the room that she assumed was hers. With a sigh, she plopped her things onto her desk and looked around, visualizing how she would decorate. After a moment, she pulled a few streamers out of her bag with some tape and began hanging them around the room. She decorated for about an hour before finishing, and she was thrilled with how it looked. The streamers helped make the room look livelier, and she managed to staple some large cardboard words on the walls that spelled things like “Read” and “Books are fun!” and other slightly corny things. She also made sure to place a mini candy bar on each student’s desk, because bribery works sometimes. Finally, she walked over to the chalkboard and grabbed a piece of chalk. In flowing cursive similar to her mother’s, she wrote “Miss Jones” across the board. Looking around with a proud smile on her face, Sarah felt like this classroom was truly hers, and her previous feelings of nervousness were replaced with excitement. She was pulled away from her excitement by a knock at her door. Opening the door, she was greeted by an elderly black gentleman she assumed to be principal Coleman. 

“Miss Jones, I presume?” The man asked, holding out his hand to shake.

“That’s me! It’s nice to finally meet you principal Coleman.” Sarah grinned, shaking the man’s hand and letting him into the classroom.

“I see you’ve been busy.” He gestured to the numerous decorations hung around the room.

“Yeah, I figured I’d try to make this place my own.” Sarah nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“That’s good, the kids always appreciate when teacher’s put effort into their rooms,” He picked up one of the candy bars from a desk, “and I see you’re familiar with the way to get in the kid’s good graces.” 

“I try.” Sarah smirked, grabbing the empty paper bag from her desk and tossing it in the trash. 

“So, I’ve got your attendance sheet right here,” He said, handing her a folder, “you’ve got a good class, if I say so myself.” 

She took the folder with a smile. Principal Coleman seemed like a sweet old man. 

“I’m really excited to meet everyone.” 

“I’m sure they are too; they don’t get many new teachers here. The teacher before you was here for nearly 40 years before she retired.” 

Sarah felt her heart sink. 40 years in the same school. Was that her fate? 

She swallowed her nerves and forced a smile. “That speaks well of this school, people don’t seem to want to leave.” 

Principal Coleman nodded with a chuckle. 

“That’s a good way to look at it.” 

“So, are there any students I should look out for?” Sarah asked, opening the folder.

“Like I said, you’ve got a good class. You do have a new student though.” Principal Coleman stated, leaning on one of the desks.

“Oh yeah? Which one?” Sarah scanned the attendance sheet.

“Her name is Jane Hopper. The chief of police adopted her a few years back, and he’s told me that she’s a very bright girl.” 

“I’m sure she is. It’ll be nice to have a fellow newbie in the class.” She smiled, circling Jane’s name on the sheet. 

“She’s apparently very quiet, so you may have to devote a little more time to her, but I’m sure she won’t give you trouble.” 

“Sounds good.” She nodded.  
“I should leave you to finish preparing, but If you need anything don’t hesitate to let me know.” Principal Coleman stated, moving for the door. 

“Thanks, sir. It was great meeting you.” Sarah shook his hand again before waving goodbye. 

“And you as well, Miss Jones.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading :) I've really begun to enjoy this concept, and I think I'm going to continue it because it's a perfect way to procrastinate on my school work. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	3. What's a Tutor?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah's first day begins and she couldn't be more excited.

9 o’clock came around quickly, and soon enough children were funneling into Sarah’s classroom. She made sure to say hi to every kid that came in, with a happy smile plastered on her face. Once every seat was filled, she called their attention to the front. 

“Hi guys, I hope you’re enjoying the candy,” noises of approval rose up through the room, “Well, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Miss Jones, and I’m your new English teacher.” Sarah beamed, gesturing to her name on the chalk board. 

“Now, I’m so excited to get to know each and everyone of you during our time together, and I’m going to start things off with attendance.” She picked up the folder and leaned on the front of her desk. 

“You’ve gotta understand, I’m bad with names, so I’m going to make it my duty to remember all of your names, ok? I want you all to hold me to that.” She stated, grabbing a pen.   
“Ok, first off is Mike Wheeler.”

“Here.” A boy with shaggy black hair and long arms raised his hand. Sarah smiled at him and said hi. 

“Lucas Sinclair.” A black boy with a cheeky grin raised his hand and said hi. Sarah returned his grin and waved. 

“Dustin Henderson.” A boy sitting at the very front of the class with impressively curly hair raised his hand before booming a “present” with a toothless smile. 

“I love the energy Dustin.” Sarah giggled.

“Ok, Will Byers?” A smaller boy with a bowl cut raised a pale arm, uttering a small “Here”. 

“Will, is your mom Joyce?” Sarah asked, remembering her conversation the night previous. 

“Yeah, that’s my mom.” He nodded, seeming to come out of his shell a little. 

“I met her last night at the general store, it’s good to meet you Will.” 

Will replied with a quiet “you too” and a small smile. 

“Moving right along, we have Maxine Mayfield.” 

A feisty looking red-haired girl raised her hand and stated “I prefer Max.” 

“Sounds good, Max. I like the board by the way.” Sarah gestured to the skateboard leaning on Max’s desk. 

“Thanks.” Max replied with the smallest of smiles. 

“We’ve got Jane Hopper up next.” A small girl beside Max slowly lifted her hand, a slightly confused look on her face. 

“She prefers to be called El.” Mike Wheeler piped up, looking between Sarah and Jane. 

“Alrightly, nice to meet you El. It’s good to not be the only new person here.” Sarah smiled, and El returned it with a cautious grin. 

The rest of attendance went smoothly, and Sarah realized that Principal Coleman was right, she did have a good class. 

“Alright guys, this term we’re going to be reading one of my all-time favorite books: Dante’s Inferno.” Sarah wrote the title on the chalk board. “Now, I understand that this book is extremely old, and it’s written in a kind of weird way, but I promise you guys that the second you pick it up you won’t be able to put it down.” 

Dustin raised his hand, and Sarah gestured for him to speak. 

“Miss Jones, doesn’t this book talk about Hell? Like, in graphic detail?” He asked, his voice filled with excitement. 

“You are correct my young friend. This book was actually called heretical by the Catholic church at the time because of how hell was presented, and when something’s called heretical, you know it’s good.” 

El raised her hand slowly, that same look of confusion on her face. Sarah nodded, allowing her to speak.

“Heretical?” She mumbled, her tone questioning. 

“Oh yes! Let’s talk about this word,” Sarah wrote it out on the chalkboard, “You see, the word heresy is used to describe things that go against the church, such as making fun of priests and that kind of thing, which Dante definitely does. Does that clear things up, El?” 

The little girl nodded, her slightly shaggy hair bouncing as she did so. 

“Ok, so this book is a part of a trio of books, which is called the Divine Comedy, but there’s nothing funny about it,” Sarah chuckled to herself, “it’s made up of Inferno, which we’re looking at now, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Each of these books details some aspect of the Catholic afterlife, with Inferno talking about hell, Purgatorio talking about Purgatory, and Paradiso talking about heaven.”

The class progressed well, the kids participated actively, and it made Sarah feel really proud of herself. She did notice something, however. El did seem very bright, but her vocabulary was extremely lacking. She spoke in fragmented sentences, and often didn’t know what a lot of words meant. She still participated, and asked about things that she didn’t know, but for a kid in 8th grade she was really behind. Once the bell signifying the end of class rang, she waved goodbye to all her students, but made a note to stop El and chat. 

“Hey El, can I talk to you for a second?” She asked, and El nodded, picking up her bookbag and walking up to Sarah’s desk. 

“I’d like to ask you a couple questions, if that’s ok?” El nodded again. 

“I noticed that you’re having some difficulty with some words, and I just was wondering if I can help you at all?” 

“Help?” El said, raising an eyebrow curiously. 

“Yeah, like as a tutor.” Sarah replied, leaning on her desk. 

“Tutor?” El repeated inquisitively. 

Geez, has this poor girl ever read a book? 

“Like a teacher, but more casual. I’d give you extra lessons after school or during lunch to help you catch up with the other kids.” 

“I am behind?” El asked, and Sarah wondered how a little girl could have such a stoic voice. 

“Just in your words. I can see that you’re a really smart girl, and I’d like to help you with communication and reading if I can.” 

El seemed to think for a moment, furrowing her brows thoughtfully. 

“Ok. You can be tutor.” She stated with the seriousness of a person decades older than her. 

“Alright! Your dad is the Police Chief right? How about I talk to him today and set things up?” Sarah asked, excited for an opportunity to help another student. 

“Ok. I will tell Hop to come talk to you after school.” El said, and Sarah noticed a hint of a smile form on the serious little girl’s face. 

“Sounds good, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sarah grinned, and El nodded.

“Tomorrow. See you.” She repeated, waving as she walked out of the room. 

Sarah sat on her desk for a moment, realizing that she just signed up for a second job. She chuckled at herself. "Sarah, you’re gonna stretch yourself too thin if you’re not careful, "she heard her father’s voice in her head, and she smiled sadly. 

The rest of the day went by in a flash, and her other classes went just as well as the first. Once the bell for the end of day rang, she felt herself fill with a sense of achievement. Her first day went so well. After saying goodbye to the last kid, she settled into her chair and let out a relieved sigh. Now, she just had to wait for El’s father to come and talk about her being tutored. Absently, she grabbed her copy of Dante’s Inferno and flipped it open, scanning the pages that she’d read countless times. She almost didn’t hear the knock on the doorframe. 

“Miss Jones?” A deep voice ripped her gaze away from her book, and she turned to look at her visitor. 

He was a big man, tall and strong looking, with a thick mustache and piercing blue eyes. He wore a beige police uniform and a matching hat that anyone else would look silly in, but he pulled it off. 

“Chief Hopper?” Sarah managed to spit out, trying to distract herself from how handsome the man before her was. 

“Call me Jim.” His mustache twitched with a small smile as he advanced towards her, holding his hand out for her to shake, which she did. 

“Jim.” She repeated, looking up at him. Sarah was by no means a short woman, and the fact that she had to crane her neck to look him in the eyes made it even harder to focus.

“My daughter told me that you offered to tutor her.” He stated, and Sarah realized she was still holding his hand. 

“Yes, I did. I noticed that her vocabulary is a little behind for 8th grade, so I figured I’d help her catch up, if that’s alright with you?” She said, retrieving her hand and crossing her arms over her chest. 

“That’s fine by me. I’ve been trying to help her out with reading and all that for a while, but I don’t think I’m the kind of teacher she needs,” He admitted, “I’m not much of a reader myself.” 

“Well, that’s what I’m here for!” Sarah grinned, feeling uncharacteristically giggly. 

“So, did you have a schedule in mind?” Hopper asked, smirking a little.

“I was thinking about having hour-long sessions after school. She could either stay later or I could meet with her at home. What do you think would work better?” Sarah moved to idly clean her desk, trying to distract herself from the fuzzy feeling she got when she looked at the Chief. 

“She’s comfortable at home, she’d probably learn better there. Plus, I don’t want kids talking if they see her staying late.” Hopper stated, and Sarah nodded understandingly.   
“I get that. Kids can be brutal.” She agreed. 

“Do you have kids?” Hopper asked. An innocent question, but Sarah felt like he was asking something different. 

“Nope, just students.” She smiled, and she could have sworn she saw Hopper eyeing her bare ring finger. 

“Hm,” He hummed thoughtfully, “I should probably get you my address then, huh?” He pulled a notepad from his shirt pocket and scribbled down his address, ripping the paper from the pad and handing it to Sarah. 

“Should we start tomorrow? Or is that too soon?” She asked, neatly folding the piece of paper absently. 

“Tomorrow is good, the sooner she gets caught up the better, right?” 

“Very true. Maybe we could do lessons every other day or so?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Jones.” Hopper said, tucking the notepad back into his shirt pocket. 

“Call me Sarah.” Sarah heard herself say.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sarah.” The way Hopper said her name was interesting. He put a weight on it like it meant something to him. She wondered why it weighed so heavily on his voice. 

“See you tomorrow, Jim.” She replied, waving as he left. 

The second he left the room; she ran up to the door and pushed it closed.

"Great job Sarah, you’re tutoring the girl with the hottest dad you’ve ever seen, and you were worried that you were going to be bored." She muttered to herself, shaking her head with a chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Another chapter! I'm having such a great time writing this thing, I've gotta admit. I hope you guys are enjoying reading it too!


	4. Not a Fun Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah finishes up her first day with a phone call to her mom. She gets reminded of a relationship that she'd rather forget. TW for gore and past domestic violence.

Packing up all her things in a daze, Sarah grabbed the keys to the Delta and made her way out of the building. She had to get home and call her mom to one, tell her about her awesome first day, and two, to tell her about her student with the hot dad. As she left the building, she walked up to the Delta and fumbled with the keys. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a massive blazer parked a couple spots away from her. It was a Hawkins Police vehicle with the word “Chief” on the side. Hopper was still there?   
Sarah looked around for a second before her gaze fell on the playground at the side of the school. She had to squint a little to see, but she saw what looked to be Hopper pushing El on a swing. She felt her heart melt a little as she got into her car. 

“Dammit, not only is he a hot dad, but he’s also a cute one as well. Shit.” She huffed, cranking the ignition. 

She arrived at home in a flash, practically chucking her things on the couch before running to her phone and dialing her mom’s number. She tapped her fingers on her counter as the dial tone rang.

“Hello?” Her mother’s voice sounded from the receiver. She could hear the muted sounds of Fleetwood Mac playing in the background, and she felt a sting of homesickness shoot through her.

“Mom? It’s Sarah.” She said, her face breaking out into a smile. 

“Oh hi honey! How are you? How was your first day?” 

“I’ve got a lot to tell you, mom.”   
-  
“So you’re a tutor now too? That’s very generous.” Her mother stated, as Sarah leaned against the kitchen counter. 

“El seems like a really great kid, I just want her to excel. I got to meet her dad today too, and we set up a tutoring schedule.” She said, holding the phone between her right ear and right shoulder as she meandered around the kitchen. 

“What’s her dad like?” A good question. 

“He’s the chief of police here, he seems like a really nice man.” 

“Is he cute?” 

“Possibly the cutest, actually.” Sarah chuckled sarcastically. Cue the tsunami of questions.

“What’s he look like?” 

“Mom, come on.” She sighed with feigned irritation.

“You actually said he was cute, so I want to know. Don’t leave your old lady hanging.” 

Sarah huffed out a breathy laugh. 

“He’s really tall, and just big in general. He’s got a really handsome face and a Tom Selleck moustache.” 

“He sounds like a dreamboat.” 

“He definitely seems like it.” 

“Is he single?” The question made Sarah think for a moment. Hopper didn’t wear a wedding ring, didn’t mention a wife. She was pretty certain that he was. Plus, a man raising a 13-year-old girl would probably have no time for dating. 

“I think so.” 

“Are you interested in him?” 

“Mom, I just met the man today.”

“I fell in love with your father the day I met him.”

Sarah sighed heavily. 

“That was dad though. He was special.” 

“Maybe this Chief is special too.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Have you thought about dating at all? I’ve been thinking about that a lot for you.” 

Sarah rolled her eyes. Her mom was always so invested in her romantic life. She appreciated that she cared, but questions about her dating life were beginning to get old.

“Not really. It’s not at the forefront of my mind.” 

“Honey, I know that you’ve been taking some time off the market, but I think you need to move on. That relationship happened a long time ago.”

Ouch. Not a fun reminder. She felt herself physically cringe. 

“Mom, it’s not about that at all.” 

“I think it is. Ever since you and Cl- “

“Nope, don’t even say his name, mom. Please.” Sarah felt her voice shake a little, and she couldn’t help but feel a little mad at herself. The wound had been torn open.

“I know it’s not easy to hear, but you can’t let one bad relationship ruin your entire love-life.” 

“I think I can be cautious.” Sarah bit, irritation evident in her tone. 

“Being cautious isn’t the same as being afraid of men.” 

“Oh god, mom. Please drop it.” She moaned, clamping her eyes shut in annoyance. 

“Sarah, I’m just asking you to be open-hearted, okay? I want the best for you, and I know your father would feel the same.” 

She heaved a sigh, resting her elbows on her kitchen counter. It had been a while, maybe it was time to think about moving on.

“I know mom. I’m sorry. You know how hard that whole thing was for me.” 

“I know, honey. Don’t get in your own way, there’s someone out there for you.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“And he may be wearing a police uniform.” 

“Okay mom, you’re breaking up, I can’t hear you.” Sarah said, making static sounds between words.

“I’ll leave you alone honey, just know that I love you and you’re the light of my life.” 

“I love you too mama. Stay classy.” 

“Right back at you, kiddo.” 

Sarah took a deep breath as she hung up the phone, and placed her hands on her hips, thinking deeply. As much as she appreciated how much her mom cared about her love-life, she wished she didn’t bring up her past relationship. Being so harshly reminded of such a dark time in her life shocked her deeply, and she felt her entire body be knocked out of rhythm. As her thoughts began to spiral, her stomach started to hurt in a grossly familiar way, and she felt like she was covered in dirt all of a sudden. Making a beeline for her bedroom, she practically tore her clothes off and jumped into the shower, scrubbing herself frantically. She scrubbed until her skin turned red, and then exited the shower, trying desperately to rid her mind of any unwelcome memories. As she was toweling off, she caught a glimpse of her back in the mirror and felt her heart drop. She almost forgot they were there. The multiple long scars spread out along the length of her back, a light shade of pink. They looked nothing like the bloody shreds they used to, and she was thankful for the healing that time provided. She still felt sick looking at them, but it was getting better. She could still recall that night, all those years ago. It had almost been 5 years. Her dad had found her, discarded at the end of the driveway of her childhood home. Her boyfriend at the time had beaten her within an inch of her life and had taken a red-hot fork to her back, shredding it nearly to the bone. She was barely alive when she heard her father yelling for her to wake up, when all she could feel was the cool air against the exposed muscle of her back. It was a nightmare. She had to have multiple surgeries to reconstruct the skin on her back, and even then it would always be scarred. She thanked her lucky stars that she could at least cover them. Sometimes she would forget they were there, and she’d think that that whole shitshow was just a bad dream. But it wasn’t, and the asshole that hurt her was still alive. Luckily, he was far away with a fiancée and about 500,000 miles between them and Hawkins. Still, she couldn’t help but be wary of future relationships, for fear that she’d be put in that same, excruciating position. 

With a heavy sigh, she got ready for bed. It was still early, but she couldn’t bear staying up any later. She had a new day to look forward to. She crawled into bed and set her alarm. After taking a deep, calming breath, she drifted off, more than ready to start the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 baby! This is exciting stuff. Hope you guys enjoyed this one!


	5. Book Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah has her first tutoring session with El, and Hopper joins in.

Sarah rose with the sun the next morning, feeling a lot better than she had the previous night. She had a lot of time before she had to start getting ready for school, so she thought she’d have a slow start to the day. She wandered into the kitchen with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and started the coffee maker. As the machine whirred to life, she walked over to one of the boxes that she still had yet to unpack. From within the box, she grabbed a small sketchbook and a couple of graphite pencils. She placed the book and the pencils on her kitchen table and flipped to a blank page. Ever since she was little, she had always loved to draw, and in her adult years she found it to be extremely calming. She sketched away, letting her hand take the lead as her mind wandered, planning for the day. She’d continue with her lesson plan on Dante’s inferno, and she found herself extremely excited to dive into the book. As she sketched, her mind wandered ahead to her tutoring session with El. Where would she start? It would probably be a good idea to establish what she did know and work from there. 

The ding of her coffee maker startled her from her planning, and she got up and grabbed a cup from one of her boxes of kitchenware. I really need to unpack, she thought, fishing out her favorite mug from the depths of the box. She came up with a round, red mug her sister had gotten her as a birthday gift. With a fond smile, she walked over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. She took a small sip and savored the warmth. It was good coffee, and she had her mom to thank for getting it for her before she left. With a thoughtful sigh, she walked back to the kitchen table and placed her cup beside her sketchbook, before walking over to her record player. She chuckled as she looked through her record collection. "I can’t unpack my necessities, but you better believe I’m gonna unpack my records". She carded through the multiple records, passing over Meatloaf, The Clash, and Supertramp. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that she was looking through the record collection of a middle-aged man. A smile stretched across her face once she landed on Rush’s album Signals. Sliding the record out of it’s folder, she placed it on the turn table and positioned the needle at the edge of the record. Pressing play, she beamed when the first notes of New World Man began to play. Her dad was the one who introduced her to Rush when she was a little girl, and she had held the band close to her heart ever since. 

The morning moved along peacefully, and soon enough Sarah was getting ready for school. She chose to wear a black overall dress with a white, long-sleeve turtleneck underneath it. She slipped on a pair of heeled black boots and made her way out the door, briefcase in tow. 

The school day seemed to speed by, and Sarah couldn’t be more thankful for that fact. She had managed to really make some strides with her classes, and she was beginning to feel like she was actually developing a relationship with her students. As her last class came to an end, she felt like the day took place in the amount of time it took to blink. She was sitting at her desk, annotating in the margins of her copy of the Inferno when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see El, who looked as excited as an extremely stoic girl could look. 

“Tutor today.” She stated, her brown eyes twinkling a little as she spoke. 

“That’s right El, I’m pretty excited about it.” Sarah replied genuinely, placing her book down. 

“What will I learn?” She asked earnestly. 

“Well,” Sarah began, “Today we’ll just focus on the basics and try to see what you’re good at. We’ll do some simple reading exercises and stuff like that. Are you ok with that?”

“I am. I’m excited to learn more,” El said, “I want to catch up.” 

“I want you to catch up too. I’m sure it’ll take no time.” Sarah grinned, patting the girl’s shoulder. 

“Hop is waiting for me; I’ll see you later.” El said, securing her backpack on her shoulders. 

“I’ll see you in a bit, honey.” Sarah smiled, returning El’s wave as she left the classroom. 

Reaching into her briefcase, she pulled out the slip of paper that Hopper gave her the day before. As she read it, she noticed that he included his phone number along with his address. As she tucked the paper into her dress pocket, she wondered if that meant anything beyond what it appeared to. This is when I wish I had friends that are as crazy as I am, she thought. Gathering her things, she made her way out to the parking lot. 

Once she reached the Delta, she climbed inside and placed her briefcase on her lap, taking a second to check if she had everything. She had found a homeschooling book for language in the school library which she thought would be useful, along with a couple notebooks for El to dedicate to practicing her printing. She also managed to get her hands on a pocket dictionary, which she would give to El as a gift. She then stuck her key into the ignition and got ready to leave, making sure to keep the paper with Hopper’s address within reach. 

The drive took about twenty minutes, slowed by a couple wrong turns and a solid 3 minutes of pure confusion. Sarah knew she was pretty directionally challenged in places she knew, but an unfamiliar environment like Hawkins made her head spin. It seemed like Hopper lived just on the outskirts of the town, in a pretty densely wooded area. She managed to find the driveway, and she pulled the Delta in. She rolled to a stop behind Hopper’s Blazer, making sure to grab her briefcase and the homeschooling book as she got out. She walked a little farther up the long driveway, finally coming to a stop at a small log-cabin. It looked like a cozy cottage, and reminded her of her own home, though her home wished it could be a cute woodsy cabin. She walked up the steps to the door and knocked. She heard some commotion inside the cabin, then the sound of multiple locks being unlocked. The door swung open to reveal Hopper, who smiled upon seeing her.

“Hey Sarah, come on in.” He said moving to the side to let her in. He was wearing a comfy looking red flannel with blue jeans, and he looked even more handsome than he had the day before, if that was even possible. 

“Hi Jim.” Sarah smiled, walking into the cabin. It was just as cozy on the inside as it was on the outside. It reminded her of the cabins her and her dad would go to on their fishing trips together. Everything was pretty much wooden, and there were a few quilted couches positioned in front of an older tv. A kitchen was tucked into the right side of the cabin, complete with a small wooden island and stools. It was nice. Comfy and warm, like all cabins should be.

“Is that your car?” Hopper asked, pointing to the Delta behind his blazer. 

“Yup, nice right?” She grinned. One of her guilty pleasures was gushing about her car. She could talk about that thing for hours and not get tired. 

“Very. I’ve always had a thing for the Oldsmobile,” He stated, walking across the room and knocking on a blue door, which Sarah assumed to lead to El’s room, “How’d you get a red one?” 

“I built it.” Sarah stated proudly, and she couldn’t help but giggle as Hopper’s mouth fell open. 

“No you didn’t.” He smiled in disbelief, knocking on El’s door again. 

“I did. My dad gave me the frame for my 16th birthday, and I spent like 2 years restoring it from the ground up.” 

“That’s crazy. I thought you were just an English teacher.” He joked, as El opened her door, wearing earphones and staring intensely at her Walkman. 

“I’ve got a lot of skills, trust me.” Sarah smirked, completely unaware of her flirtatious tone. 

“I don’t doubt it.” Hopper replied, gently removing El’s headphones. 

Sarah couldn’t help but smile as El seemed to drift back to the world as her gaze moved away from her Walkman. It reminded her of her sister, Julie, who she lovingly nicknamed “Space cadet”. 

“Miss Jones!” El grinned, placing her Walkman down and running up to Sarah, grabbing her wrist and leading her to the kitchen table, “Tutor me.” 

“I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Hopper stated, grabbing a toolbox from a chest beside the front door, “I’ll be outside if you need me.” 

“Sounds good.” Sarah smiled at him. 

“Bye Hop.” El waved as Hopper left. 

“Alright El,” Sarah placed her briefcase on the table, “Before we start, I have a present for you.”

“A present?” El asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Yup, I think you’ll find it really useful.” 

Sarah grabbed the pocket dictionary and removed it from the case. El eyed it curiously as Sarah handed it to her. 

“It’s a pocket dictionary. You can carry it around with you everywhere, and whenever you’re confused by a new word you can just look it up.” Sarah pointed out as El flipped through the small book. 

“Thanks, this will help.” El smiled, and Sarah noticed that she wasn’t nearly as stoic as she seemed at school. Hopper was probably right about her being comfortable enough to learn at home. 

“I also got you a couple notebooks for practicing your printing.” Sarah stated, pulling the notebooks out of her case and passing them over to El, who was smiling brightly. 

“Good, I want to get better at letters, Max says my writing looks like a chicken scratched it.” She grinned, flipping through the blank pages of one of the notebooks.

“That’s a good description,” Sarah giggled, “We’ll have you writing in cursive in no time.” 

-

“Ok El, what do we call a word that describes an action?” Sarah asked, pointing at the word “run” in El’s dictionary. 

“Verb.” El said, her tone certain.

“Good! Now what is a word that affects the meaning of a verb? They can affect the time or amount of a word, like using the word ‘today’ or ‘fully’.” 

“Um,” El paused thoughtfully, “Adverb.” 

“Yes! You’re doing great, kiddo.” Sarah beamed, giving El a high-five. 

“What are we celebrating?” Hopper asked, closing the door and placing his toolbox back into it’s chest. 

“I know adverbs!” El exclaimed, and Sarah felt her heart melt a little at the proud look that crossed Hopper’s face. 

“That’s really great, kid.” He smiled, patting her head affectionately as he walked into the kitchen. 

“Well, El. I think it’s time for me to hit the road.” Sarah stated, checking her watch. It had been almost over an hour, and she didn’t want to intrude.

“Already?” El asked, and her sad eyes almost broke Sarah’s heart. 

“Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.” She shrugged. 

“You can stay a little longer, can’t you?” El asked, “Can’t she, Hop?” 

“Sure, If Miss Jones wants to,” Hopper said, joining them at the kitchen table, “I’d actually like to sit in on a lesson.”

“Well, a little longer would be fine, and I did find a homeschooling book that could be helpful,” Sarah said, pulling out the book and placing it on the table, “Just for the times I’m not here.” 

“I like the preparedness.” Hopper stated, grabbing the book and leafing through it. 

“I try.” Sarah replied, cursing herself as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. 

“I want to read Inferno.” El said simply. 

“Dante’s inferno?” Hop asked, looking up from the homeschooling book. 

“Yeah, it’s our class book for this term,” Sarah explained, “We can read it together, El. Do you want to start it tonight?” 

El nodded enthusiastically. 

“You must have a class full of brainiacs, I tried reading that book in high school and had no idea what was going on.” Hopper chuckled.

“Maybe you can join in our reading sessions, then?” Sarah replied, “I’m pretty good at explaining stuff like that.” 

“Sure, why not. A book club sounds like fun.” 

-

“Ok, so you’re tellin’ me that this guy found the entrance to hell in a cave?” Hopper asked, taking a sip from his beer. 

“That’s what it says.” Sarah replied, gesturing to the book in her hand.

“Does an entrance like that exist?” El asked, genuinely curious.

“No.” Hopper said simply.

“Maybe.” Sarah shrugged, returning to the book. 

“Maybe?” Hopper echoed; his tone incredulous. 

“We don’t know, there could be a hell mountain out there.” Sarah replied.

“Hell mountain.” El repeated in a voice filled with wonder. 

“Ok, Hell mountain, whatever,” Hopper digressed, “is Dante gonna get his girl back?” 

“Beatrice?” Sarah asked, and Hopper nodded, “I’m not going to spoil it for you.” 

“Come on.” Hopper whined, and Sarah had to hold back at laugh at the man’s dramatic tone. 

“I don’t want you to lose interest, if I tell you what happens you’ll just zone out for the rest of the book.” She grinned, and he sighed in defeat. 

“Fine, don’t tell me.” He said in mock-annoyance. 

“Can you explain Limbo?” El asked, pointing to the word in Sarah’s copy of the book. 

“Sure,” She said, “Limbo is the first level of hell, and it’s where all the people who weren’t catholic but had good hearts went. It’s mostly just philosophers.” 

“Philosophers?” El questioned. 

“Guys in dresses who think too much.” Hopper chimed in, and Sarah giggled at his remark.

“Not true,” She corrected, “Some philosophers wear suits.” 

“True.” Hopper agreed. 

Sarah smiled to herself, making a small note in the margin of her page. As she looked up from the book, she caught a glimpse of the clock at the other end of the room. 7:53 pm. She had spent nearly four hours there and it felt like two. 

“Oh god, is that the time?” She said, closing her book.

“Wow, I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.” Hopper said, sharing Sarah’s surprised tone. 

“I’ve really got to hit the road.” She said, gathering her things together and standing up. Closing her briefcase, she turned to face El. 

“You’ve made a ton of progress today, El! I’m really proud of you.” She smiled, “Also, don’t forget your dictionary tomorrow. We’re gonna look at some big words in class.” 

“Words like heretical?” She asked, and Sarah almost missed the utterly confused look that crossed Hopper’s face. 

“Just like that, maybe even bigger.” The way El’s face lit up made her feel on top of the world. 

“I’m excited. See you tomorrow, Miss Jones.” El beamed, giving Sarah’s free hand a squeeze before walking off to her room. 

“How did the word ‘heretical’ end up as El’s word of the day?” Hopper asked, a small smirk on his face as he walked Sarah to the door. 

“Apparently our friend Dante got in trouble with the church for his little story, so the word slipped in there.” She shrugged; her tone mirthful.

“Ah.” Hopper nodded, smiling wider as Sarah pulled a coat out of her case. 

“Are you Mary Poppins or something?” He asked, gesturing to the large case. 

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not,” Sarah laughed, “Just overprepared.” 

“Not a bad thing to be.” He said in a way that made a frustratingly familiar heat rise to her cheeks. 

“I guess not.” She replied, moving for the door. 

“Let me walk you out.” He offered, and she returned it with a smile and a small “ok.” 

They left together, walking down the long driveway in the cool night air. They walked in a comfortable silence, with Sarah looking up at the stunningly clear sky above them in awe. As they walked, she couldn’t help but notice how safe she felt with Hopper beside her. 

“So listen,” He broke the silence, “How much do I owe you?” 

Sarah fixed him with a confused look. “What?”

“For the tutoring. I can’t let you do it for free.” He said earnestly as they arrived at the Delta. 

“Yes you can, and you should.” She smiled, waving him off.

“I feel like I owe you. You’re a huge help.” He pressed, as she leaned against the Delta.

“It’s my job, Jim. Plus, El is a pleasure to teach. This is fun for me.” She reassured, patting his shoulder. 

“How about I take you out, buy you dinner?” He offered, and she felt her heart squeeze.

Is he asking me out? Like, on a date? Her thoughts began to race almost a fast as her heart as she looked up at him.

“Hopper, you don’t have to, honestly. Teaching El is reward enough.” She heard herself say.

“I want to.” He stated simply, “You free Saturday?” 

“I don’t want you to feel like you owe me a debt.” She said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Sarah,” He said her name with that familiar weight, causing her eyes to lock with his, “I want to take you out.”

She gulped, hating how much she loved his intensity. “Okay.”

The satisfied smile that stretched across his face made her insides feel like Jell-o. She leaned a little heavier against the Delta. 

“How about I call you tomorrow and we can iron things out?” He asked, and she noticed that he had leaned in a little closer to her. 

“That sounds good. Here’s my number.” She said, feeling a little frazzled. She grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen from the outside pocket of her case and wrote her number on it, handing it to Hopper. 

“You’ve got really nice writing.” He stated, inspecting the piece of paper. 

“Thanks, I’ve had a lot of practice.” She grinned, opening the Delta’s passenger door and placing her case on the seat. 

“Thanks again for doing this, I know El really appreciates it,” He said, “And I do too.” 

“Like I said, this is fun for me.” She smiled up at him. 

“Alright, Mary Poppins,” He chuckled, “I’ll call you tomorrow.” 

“Sounds good, Jim. Say goodnight to El for me.” Sarah said, walking around to the driver’s side.

“Will do, and drive safe, will ya?” 

“Sure thing.” She nodded as the Delta roared to life. 

With a wave, she backed the Delta up and turned out onto the road, her mind running a million miles a minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5!! I'm pretty jazzed about this, not gotta lie. I hope you all liked this one!


	6. Ancient Books are Never Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah's peaceful night is interrupted by a few of her concerned students. Something sinister might be afoot.

When she arrived home, she collapsed on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I should call my mom," she thought, knowing full well that the second her mom heard about her date she’d be screaming over the receiver. 

Just as she was about to grab the phone on her side table, she was startled by a series of sharp knocks at her door. Who could that be? She got up off the couch and swung the door open, surprised to see five of her students with extremely worried looks on their faces. Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, and Max Mayfield stood before her, looking like they’d seen a ghost.

“Hi guys, what are you doing here?” She asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“Can we come in? It’s extremely urgent.” Dustin stated, his tone sounding completely serious.

Sarah eyed them suspiciously, before waving her arm and gesturing for them to come in. 

“How did you kids even know where I live?” She asked, as all five of them congregated at her kitchen table.

“Phone book.” Max shrugged, and Sarah pointed at her in acknowledgement. 

“Miss Jones, we think we found something really bad, like end of the world bad.” Mike spoke up, looking genuinely concerned. 

“Please elaborate.” Sarah said, growing more confused by the second. 

“We found this in the public library.” Lucas said, pulling a book from his backpack and slamming it in the center of the table. 

Sarah took a closer look and saw that it was a really old edition of Dante’s Inferno. She reached out to touch it, but her hand was slapped away by Dustin, who immediately apologized. 

“It’s a really old Edition of the Inferno, what’s apocalyptic about it?” Sarah asked, giving Dustin a warning look. 

“It’s what’s on the inside that’s bad, look.” Will said, flipping the book open to Canto 33- the ninth circle of hell. 

Sarah was shocked by what she saw. It was a horrific drawing of the devil trapped from the waist-down in ice, holding Cassius and Brutus in both of his hands, and in his mouth he held Judas Iscariot, skinning his back with his teeth. She cringed at the visual. To make it worse, it looked like someone had scrawled all over it in blood red ink. The words were messy and a little runny, but she managed to make out three separate words. 

“Diabolus venturus est.” She quoted, her dark brows furrowed in confusion, “It’s Latin.” 

“Do you know what it means?” Mike asked frantically. 

“Of course she doesn’t know what it means. It’s a dead language, dumbass.” Dustin piped up.

“No, I actually do know what it means, but I think it’s meant to be some sort of prank.” Sarah shrugged.

“What makes you think it’s a prank?” Max asked, curiosity burning in her green eyes. 

“Well, it’s a threat first of all, and I don’t think people just write threats in books willy-nilly,” Sarah explained, “And second, it’s an invocation, and no one who actually knew about this stuff would write it in a book like this.” 

“Yeah-yeah, that’s great, but what does it mean?” Lucas pressed, his tone matching Mike’s in franticness. 

“It literally translates to ‘The Devil is coming’.” Sarah stated, and each of the kids went pale. 

“Oh my god, it’s the end of the world.” Dustin cried. 

“It’s not the end of the world, Dustin. Some goofball obviously thought it would be a funny joke to write this stuff in an old book.” Sarah said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are you sure?” Will asked with a sincerity that caught her off-guard. 

“Pretty sure, buddy. Where did you guys even find this?”

“It was in a back room in the library. It was open to that page when we found it.” Mike explained. 

“I’ll tell you what, how about I keep this book for now and see if I can’t find any more of this mumbo-jumbo.” Sarah offered. Even if this stuff was a bad prank, it gave her another hobby. 

“Okay. But let us know if you find anything else.” Lucas said.

“Of course, I’m invested in this now. Maybe I’ll get the cops to find the goon that did this.” She half-joked. 

The kids left soon after, leaving her alone with the old book. She sat on her bed, carding through the dusty pages. How does a book this rare and old end up in the back of a library? She asked herself, marveling at the intricate illustrations and fine font on the pages before her. As she continued to flip the pages, she caught a glimpse of more red ink. Turning to Canto 1, she saw another Latin phrase scribbled messily across the page. 

“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.” She read aloud, feeling a slight twinge of fear. As ridiculous as this was, her imagination was having a field-day with it.

“’Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’.” She translated, “Geez, this person’s committed.” 

She grabbed a couple book marks from her nightstand and placed them in the two spots with the red ink. Was this an actual conspiracy? Did a bunch of kids just unearth something big? The thought make her palms sweat, and she decided to put the book away for the night, lest she worry herself into a stupor. 

The next day went by quicker than the last, and she soon found herself gathering her stuff after her last class of the day. Her mind had been racing the entire day, filled with questions about the old book. Was it really just a prank? What if it was something else? Something dangerous? She tried to push those thoughts aside, though her efforts were ruined when a certain pack of kids came running into her classroom, with a confused looking El in tow. 

“Hey guys.” She said, turning to face the nervous looking group.

“Don’t ‘hey guys’ us, Miss Jones.” Dustin said, and Sarah found herself laughing internally at the spunk of the kid. 

“Did you find anything else in the book?” Mike asked, shoving Dustin sharply. 

“I did, actually. I’m not sure what to think about it.” Sarah said, placing the old book on her desk and turning to Canto 1, revealing the gruesome looking red ink. The kids fought a little to get a closer look, and each of their faces paled when they saw yet another Latin phrase.

“What does this one say?” Max piped up, pushing her way to the front of Sarah’s desk. 

“It means ‘abandon all hope, ye who enter here,” She explained, “It’s a quote from the original Latin version of the book, and it was apparently carved above the entrance of the cave to hell.” 

“Hell mountain!” El exclaimed, causing everyone to fix her with a confused look. 

“Does this cave actually exist?” Lucas asked, joining Max at the front of the desk. 

“I don’t think so, this whole story is fictional.” Sarah shrugged. “And I don’t know why Dante would include one truth in an account about hell. A pretty significant one, too.” 

“You need to keep looking, Miss Jones.” Will spoke with an uncharacteristic intensity. The boy was obviously scared, and Sarah wished that she could say with certainty that this was just a prank. But, she couldn't. 

“Guys, I honestly don’t think this is serious, it’s probably just a case of a bored teen who found a red pen.” She huffed, trying to disguise her own concern.

“Miss Jones, don’t you think it’s weird that whoever is writing these messages uses perfect Latin? How would some teenager know a dead language?” Dustin asked, placing his hands on his hips. 

“You make a good point, Dustin. I’ve thought of that myself, but what else could it be?” Sarah replied, throwing her hands up in surrender. 

“It could be a warning.” Mike said, and Sarah couldn’t help but notice that he was holding hands with El. 

“Of the apocalypse? Why would a book about the apocalypse be in Hawkins, of all places?” She questioned; her tone genuinely curious. 

“Why not?” Lucas shrugged.

“Fair enough,” Sarah sighed, “I’ll keep looking, maybe I’ll find something helpful. But right now, I think you guys need to get home before your parents send out a search party.”

The group grumbled in reluctant agreement, and she walked them to the door.

“Tell us if you find anything else.” Dustin pressed, and Sarah nodded with a small grin. 

The group slowly funneled out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. 

“Entrance to hell my ass.” She grumbled, gathering the rest of her things and heading out into the parking lot. The very idea of this being anything more than a prank gave her the creeps. What could this lead to? She thought, pushing the doors open and making her way to the Delta. If this devil shit was real, and that’s a big if, what would that mean for her? For Hawkins in general? 

The drive home was tense, and the thoughts about the book whirled around in her head. She pulled into her driveway and made her way inside, thinking at light speed as she went. 

The second she stepped inside, she planted herself at her kitchen table with a notebook, a sharp pencil, the old book, and a glass of wine. She was gonna get to the bottom of this in an organized and timely manner. She started at the beginning, making a note of anything that looked suspicious and re-writing the scribbled Latin phrases, trying to find anything that may have been missed. As she turned to Canto 6, she was met with yet another scribbled phrase: “Ubi sunt, libros. Hoc est, ubi et invenies me.”

“This person either has a lot of time on their hands or is genuinely disturbed.” She huffed, rewriting the phrase in her notebook. “Maybe both.” 

As she was attempting to translate the phrase, the sudden sharp ringing of her phone made her jump. Leaning back in her chair, she snatched the phone off the hook on the kitchen wall. 

“Hello, Sarah Jones speaking.” She answered, returning to her translation. 

“Hey Sarah, it’s Jim Hopper, I’m just checking in about our plans this weekend.” 

Oh Shit, I totally forgot he was gonna call, she thought. She subconsciously sat up straighter and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh hey Jim!” She squeaked, “How are you?” 

“I’m good.” She heard him chuckle over the phone, “And you? El said that today was pretty eventful.” 

“That’s an understatement.” She grinned, twirling the cord absently. “It’s a fun story.”

“I can’t wait to hear it at dinner on Saturday.” 

“We’re still on for that, I hope?” He added, a smile on his voice. His damned deep, sexy voice. 

“Absolutely, I wouldn’t miss it. I’ve been wanting to check out the restaurants around here.” She replied, biting her lower lip. 

“Well, I’ve got a good one in mind. A Little Italian place called Enzo’s."

“Oh, I love Italian food,” She stated, “I’ll definitely show up for some garlic bread.” 

“I knew that’d be the selling factor.” Hopper laughed, and Sarah giggled along with him. 

“Listen, I’ve got a random question. It’s probably a little weird.” She said, an idea popping up in her mind. 

“I’m all ears.” He replied. 

“Has there ever been any cult activity in Hawkins? I figured you’d know because of your whole police thing.” 

“Ah yes, my whole police thing,” He chuckled, “Also, that’s definitely a weird question.” 

“I’ll explain more at dinner, but I just had to ask.” She replied, taking a sip of wine. 

“It’s funny you bring it up, because I’ve had to deal with a lot of cults.”

“Actually? What kind?” She perked up; pencil poised.

“Oh you know, the usual. A lot of alien abductions and the occasional guy who thinks he’s Jesus. We actually just arrested a guy who thought he was both an alien and Jesus.” He stated, his voice playfully sarcastic.

“You’re teasing me, Jim.” She huffed, trying to hold back a giggle. 

“I’d never do that, and I’m sad you’d think I would.” He replied in a mirthful tone. 

“Now I’m not going to tell you why I asked that question. You can suffer in your curiosity forever.” She said, lifting her chin in defiance.

“That’s just mean, you’re one of those strict teachers aren’t you? I knew it.” 

“I happen to be a very cool teacher, thank you very much. Just ask your daughter.” 

“I actually just asked her and she said that you’re really mean, and that you should tell me your crazy story.” 

“It wouldn’t be as fun to tell you over the phone. I want to see your face when I blow your mind.” Sarah smirked, flipping the pages distractedly. 

“This better be good, I feel like you’re over-selling it.” Hopper said, the sound of a smile never leaving his voice. 

“I’d never do that; I think I’m selling it the perfect amount.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hopper chuckled, “So, how ‘bout I pick you up at 7 on Saturday? Enzo’s good?” 

“That sounds great,” Sarah smiled, “Do you need my address?”

“No need, I’m chief of police, remember?”

“Well yeah, but it’d be easier if I just gave you my address.” 

“In a town as small and boring as Hawkins, I like to give myself a challenge once in a while.” 

“Suit yourself, Magnum.” 

“Also, El told me to tell you that she’s sleeping over at Max’s tomorrow and will be too busy reading teen magazines and watching karate kid to be tutored.” 

“Teen magazines are an education by themselves, I’ll allow it,” Sarah giggled, “Should I come by on Friday then?”

“Yeah, that’d work.” Hopper agreed, “By the way, that dictionary you gave El has been ruining my life.” 

“Oh?”

“She called me ‘vacuous’ this morning because I wouldn’t let her drink coffee.” 

“Vacuous? Wow, that’s a ten-dollar word right there. How did you recover?” 

“I’m still stinging to be honest; I wasn’t prepared for that kind of language at 8 in the morning.” 

“That’ll wake you up for sure.” 

“Anyways, I’ve got a 13-year-old who’s waiting for dinner and I’m a little worried she’ll call me another big word if I don’t hop to.” 

“Oh yeah, you should really get going; wouldn’t want you to be called ‘vacuous’ again.” Sarah replied. 

“I’ll see you Friday then, be ready to be called abominable or something like that.” 

“I’ll brace myself.” 

“So long, Mary Poppins.”

“See ya, Magnum.”

As Sarah hung up the phone, she couldn’t help but smile. However, the smile immediately vanished once she looked down at the haunting writing scrawled on the book before her. Was she actually gonna tell Hopper about this stuff? More importantly, would he think she was crazy if she did?

She tried to shake off her doubts and resume her translation. The phrase didn’t take long to translate, but She wished it had, just so she wouldn’t have to read it.

“Where there are books. This is where you will find me.” She read, confusion in her voice.

“Oh thanks genius, I forgot that there’s only one place that books are.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Are you in my living room? Because I’ve got a shitload of books laying around.” 

Annoyed, she got up and moved to her couch, opting to turn on the TV to distract herself. She channel surfed for a bit, finally landing on a brand-new episode of Magnum P.I. She chuckled to herself as Hopper returned to her thoughts. She had to admit that she was nervous for their date that weekend, but their phone call soothed her a little. When she first met him, she was convinced that she’d never be able to carry a conversation with him, let alone go to dinner with him. But now, she realized that she felt safe with him, which said a lot. The fact that he was also ruggedly handsome and funny also said a lot. 

Her attention soon drifted back to the T.V, where Magnum was just tasked with looking into a war buddy’s death. She watched intently, enjoying the flagrant cheesiness of the show. She was quickly stopped in her tracks, however, when Magnum entered a library. 

“’Where there are books.’” She muttered, her dark eyes wide with the realization. 

“The library. The damn library.” She fell back into the couch cushions, staring at the ceiling in shock. She’d have to go to the library now, wouldn’t she? With a huff, she glanced at her wristwatch. 8:30. The Library would be closed; she'd have to go tomorrow. With a yawn, she was thankful for the fact that El wanted to reschedule their tutoring session- it would give her ample time to snoop around the library. As she continued to watch the T.V, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she decided to call it a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6! I think I'm getting the hang of writing these characters (Maybe?). This one was a blast to write, and I've gotta admit that writing playful banter is my favorite thing ever. Hope you guys liked this one!


	7. The Archive Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah makes a trip out to the Hawkins Public Library. She's surprised to find someone other than the Librarian there.

The next day began as quickly as the last, and Sarah’s first few classes flew by. As she sat at her desk during lunch, she heard a familiar series of knocks at the door. 

“Kids, shouldn’t you be in the cafeteria?” She stated, as the group of middle-schoolers funneled into the classroom. 

“How can we eat in a time like this?” Dustin asked, taking a seat in his desk and pulling out a lunch bag despite himself. 

“Did you find anything else?” Max asked, leaning against Sarah’s desk.

“You know, it’s funny that you guys ask,” Sarah said, her eyes twinkling with humour, “Because I did.” 

“What is it? Directions to the gates of Hell?” Mike asked, eyes wide.

“Not necessarily, but it was directions of a sort.” Sarah said, pulling the book from her briefcase and placing it on her desk. She flipped it to Canto 6, revealing the blood red Latin phrase.

“What’s it mean?” Lucas asked, dragging his pointer finger over the ink thoughtfully. 

“It means: ‘Where there are books. This is where you will find me.’” Sarah explained, “I think it’s talking about the public library.” 

“That’s where we found it! Maybe there’s some kind of portal in the library!” Dustin exclaimed, and Sarah chuckled a little. 

“Maybe! Only one way to find out.” She grinned, closing the book, “I’m going after school to check it out. You guys are welcome to come along; It’ll be a fun adventure.” 

“An adventure to hell.” Max smirked, mischief in her eyes as she imitated a ghost. 

“Don’t joke, Max! This could be serious!” Dustin scolded, only succeeding in making Max laugh. 

“We should investigate.” El piped up, standing from her desk and walking to the front of Sarah’s desk.

“First of all, nice word El!” Sarah grinned, “Second, I thought you and Max were having a sleepover tonight?” 

“We are, but we can investigate first.” Max chimed in, and El nodded in agreement. 

“In that case, I should probably call your dad and let him know about our impromptu field trip.” 

“No! He won’t let me go.” El said, “Hell is dangerous.”

El's words gave Sarah pause. Even if there wasn't a portal to hell in the library, she was still taking a risk by bringing the kids. Maybe she should go alone, just to be safe. 

“You’re right, El. I don’t feel right about having you kids come, even if this is just an elaborate prank.” She agreed. If this thing ended up being real, and God forbid, she’d never forgive herself if any of the kids got hurt.

“I’ll go alone tonight and we’ll see what happens. I’ll tell you all about it first thing tomorrow.” 

“We can give you a walkie to take with you, for safety?” Will offered. 

“No thanks, Will. I think I’ll be fine; I’m just going to the library.” She smiled with a shrug. 

“But what if you end up in hell with no way out?” Lucas said, a little panicked. 

“Then I had a good run.” Sarah laughed, but quickly stopped when she noticed the ghastly look on the kid’s faces. “Sorry, this could be serious, I understand.” 

After saying goodbye to the kids, the day continued on, and Sarah soon found herself walking out into the parking lot. With the book weighing heavily in her bag, she drove to the Hawkins Public Library. It was a nice building, obviously a little on the older side, but there was a lot of character in it’s stone walls. "I was looking for an excuse to visit the library, so here it is. Wish it was under better circumstances, though." She thought, walking up to the old building. 

As she pushed through the large doors into the library, she wondered what she would encounter there. Would there be a portal to hell? Or would there be a deluded teen waiting to laugh at her? Only one way to find out. She walked through the foyer, saying a quick hello to the librarian, before finding her way to the back room the kids had told her about. It was a bigger library than it looked, and it was more maze-like than she had expected. There were tons of shelves all around her, and it was difficult to figure out which aisle would lead where. After a solid ten minutes of lost meandering, she found a door with the label “Archive” on it. There were windows on either side of it, but someone had closed the curtains which effectively blocked any visibility into the room. With a sigh, she tried the doorknob, and was mildly surprised when the door swung open. As she stepped inside, she was shocked at how big the room was. Tons of shelves full of old books stretched before her, and she rolled her eyes in frustration. "I’ve got my work cut out for me." She muttered under her breath, advancing into the room.

She wandered around the many shelves, not sure what she was looking for. She gripped her case tightly, feeling a little uneasy. She noticed that the hair on the back of her neck had begun to stand up, and she felt as if someone was watching her. If this was all a prank, it was a damn good one. She made her way to the back of the room, where she saw something peculiar on the floor in front of her. It looked like someone had spilled some ink, but as she got closer, it looked too red to be ink. She swallowed hard, hoping that it was just some red ink, and not what her mind was telling her it was. As she walked up to it, she noticed that there was another blotch a few paces in front, and another after that. She followed the spots, feeling anxiety rise in her chest as she went. She felt like she was drawing close to something sinister, but her rationality told her that she was working herself up, and that all she was going to find was a library aide with a spilled ink cartridge. But as she continued, the blotches got bigger, all the way up to the back of the room, where she was confronted with a confusing sight. A large wooden desk absolutely drenched in the red ink. It looked very old, and she felt the urge to run her hands along the smooth wood. She stood before it, eyeing the red ink that was spilled over it. There was no ink well or cartridge, and not a pencil in sight. But as she looked closer, she saw that there were words carved into the surface of the desk. Fishing her notebook from her case, she started to scribble down the words, her heart racing in her ears. Just as she finished writing, she heard the door to the room open and close, as well as the unmistakable noise of a key turning in a lock. Heavy footsteps followed the noise, and she widened her eyes in confusion, her heart pounding louder and louder. This couldn’t be the librarian; the steps were too loud. Quickly, she tucked her notebook into her pants pocket and turned away from the desk, hoping that there was another exit. She quietly walked through the aisles, trying to move as far from the footsteps as she could. Even if this person wasn’t dangerous, she wouldn’t want them to find her standing over a desk covered in red ink. As she walked around the room, she realized that there were no other doors. No other exits. Her breath became heavy as panic began to fill her mind. She felt like she needed to run, though she didn’t know where she would go. 

As she crossed between two aisles, she caught a of glimpse of the owner of the footsteps. He was tall, even taller than Hopper, with a cold, sharp face. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was some kind of secret agent. He was dressed in an all-black jumpsuit and large boots- the janitor perhaps? No, he didn’t have any cleaning supplies. That’s when she saw it. In his right hand, he held what looked to be a nightstick, poised to attack. Since when do libraries have security guards? Especially ones with nightsticks? Hiding behind a shelf, she tried to figure out what to do. She couldn’t confront him, he was easily over a foot taller than her, and maybe twice her weight. She couldn’t run to the door because it was locked. She clenched her jaw, realizing she was effectively trapped. Her only shot, if you could even call it that, was to charge him and try to catch him off-guard. With a deep breath, she walked out from behind the shelf. Despite her gusto, she felt herself collapse internally when she walked out to face the giant man, who was standing at the other end of the room. They stared at each other for a second, and she felt her mind go blank. She turned to run, not knowing where she would go, but she was harshly pulled backwards by her hair. The giant man had grabbed a handful of her long hair and ripped her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to drop her briefcase. 

“Hey, ouch!” She exclaimed, suddenly more angry than scared. She reared up in a surge of adrenaline and punched the man in the face, catching him off guard and throwing him back, though he still kept a death grip on her hair. 

“What the hell?!” She yelled, struggling as the man pulled her up by the hair, forcing her to stand. “What kind of security guard are y-!” He cut her off by grabbing her by the throat and forcing her up against one of the shelves. 

“Not security guard.” He said, and she immediately noticed his thick Russian accent. What was a Russian doing in rural Indiana?

“Let-let me go!” She gasped, beating his arms with her fists, to no avail. 

He fixed her with a hard glare, and she felt panic coursing through her veins as the edges of her vision started to darken. With another burst of anger, she kicked hard, landing a hit to the big man’s crotch, the pain of which loosened his grip enough for her to wrench herself free. She stumbled away, coughing as she went, pain burning in her throat with every breath. She tried to run again but was stopped in her tracks by a searing pain in her head. Her vision went black for a second as she fell to the ground. "That commie asshole bludgeoned me." She thought, breathing heavily. She felt a wet sensation on the back of her neck and on her forehead, and she knew she was bleeding. As her vision returned, she tried to pull herself up by gripping one of the shelves but was stopped when the big man grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulling her up to face him. 

“Who do you work for?” He barked, causing her ears to ring.

“Your fuckin’ mom.” She answered, punctuating her sentence by spitting in the man’s face. 

With a growl, he sent her back to the ground with a hard smack to her face, causing her to bite her tongue. 

“You athole!” She lisped, as blood leaked from her mouth. She knew that she was probably going to be killed by this man, so she may as well cuss him out as he did it.

“How did you know about this place?” He asked again, grabbing her hair by the top of her head, causing her to yelp in pain. 

“It’s the goddamn library?! Do you do this shit to everyone who comes in here?! You must be the security guard of the fuckin’ century!” She bit back, blinking fast as the blood from the wound on her head dripped into her eyes. 

He threw her back to the floor with a thud, kicking her solidly in the stomach, causing her to wretch with the force. He then reached for her briefcase and effectively ripped it open. He grabbed the old book and shoved it in her face.

“How do you know about this?!” He roared, punching her in the ribs, causing her to cry out.

“Go fuck yourself, Gorbachev.” She spat, blood pouring out of her mouth as she spoke. 

He landed a stinging slap to her cheek, causing the wound on her head to throb painfully. 

“If you tell anyone about this, you are dead.” The man said, grabbing the old book and moving to walk away. 

Through her bloodied vision, Sarah caught a glimpse of a symbol on the back of his jumpsuit. Hawkins Electrical. She would have to look it up, if she survived this ordeal. Her body pulsed with pain, and she felt her consciousness begin to ebb away. Her eyelids began to droop, and the last sound she heard before drifting away was that of the door opening and closing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7!!! This one was so fun to write, and I even managed to fit in a little cliff-hanger (wow look at me go). Hope you guys enjoyed this one! 
> 
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment, I love reading your thoughts!


	8. It's a Long Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah wakes up after being attacked, and is greeted with a familiar face.

Muffled sounds and dim lights began to break through the black wall of Sarah’s unconsciousness, and she began to feel a mattress underneath her. Soon, she heard the constant beeping of what sounded to be a heart monitor, and the droning buzz of florescent lights. Her head began to throb, and a gnawing pain in her ribs reminded her that she was still alive. She felt her eyes begin to blink open, and soon the beeping of the heart monitor didn’t sound so distant. 

“Hey, hey, easy.” She heard a voice say. A familiar voice. How did she know that voice? 

She felt a strong hand gently grip her own, and her eyes snapped open. 

The voice belonged to none other than Jim Hopper, who looked an interesting combination of angry and terrified. He was sitting in a chair right beside her bed, with one arm leaning against the guardrail and the other holding her hand in his. He was wearing his police uniform with the top buttons of his shirt undone, revealing a white Henley underneath. But how he looked didn’t really matter, all Sarah cared about was the fact that he was there with her, and that she was safe. 

“Jim.” She whispered, wincing at the pain that shot through her throat as she did. He squeezed her hand again. 

“Hey Poppins, try not to talk for now, ok?” He gave her a tight smile, obviously trying to make it seem like he was calm and relaxed, but she could see the anger behind his eyes. She nodded, squeezing his hand in return. 

They sat in silence for a little while, but Sarah had so many questions racing in her mind that she couldn’t bear to keep quiet.

“How,” She began to speak despite the pain in her head, “How did you find me?” 

“The librarian found you.” Hopper stated, “She said she had heard yelling in the archive room, and when she went to go check things out she found you knocked out in a pool of blood.” 

“That sounds right,” Sarah huffed, bringing her free hand to her head and coming in contact with gauze instead of hair, “Do you know what’s wrong with me? My everything hurts.”

Hopper chuckled sadly before answering. “You’ve got a broken rib, a bruised windpipe, and a pretty brutal gash in your head. No concussion though.” 

“You should see the other guy.” She joked before wincing at the pain in her throat. 

“I’d like to. Do you know who he was?” The way Hopper asked the question made her think that he was going to kill the guy instead of arrest him. She didn’t mind either way.

“Big Russian guy. He wore a black jumpsuit with the words ‘Hawkins Electrical’ on the back.” 

“Son of a bitch.” Hopper grunted, using his free hand to rub his nose in exasperation.

“Sound familiar?” She asked, intrigued. 

“Yeah. I’ve seen their vans around, and the librarian said that they were having some electrical work done.” 

“I don’t think that guy did any electrical work. He didn’t have any tools, except for the stick he beat my head in with.” She gave a breathy laugh, coughing a little as she did so. 

“Oh god, please don’t joke about that.” Hopper said, his tone serious despite the small smile on his face.

“Sorry, too soon I guess.” 

“I’ve gotta make some calls. You ok if I leave for a bit?” He asked, running his thumb over the back of her hand.

“Sure, I don’t have anywhere to be.” She smiled weakly. 

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.” He stood up, letting go of her hand. She frowned slightly at how cold it felt without the weight of his hand. 

“Hey, Hop?” She called after him, and he turned quickly in response.

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks for being here, you’re nice to wake up to.” She smiled, thanking the drugs that coursed through her veins for the sudden burst of boldness. 

“Well thanks, I’m glad you think so.” He replied with a smile, and She could have sworn she saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink as he left the room. 

As she lay in the silent hospital room, she cast her mind back to the library. The big Russian man had given her the beating of a lifetime, but she struggled to remember much else. His face remained in her mind, but she wondered if she had forgotten something important. She remembered the desk covered in red ink, and the inscription on it, the notebook she recorded it in…did she forget it there? She shot up, ignoring the pain in her head that begged her to lay back down, and scanned the room for her notebook. She was wearing a hospital gown, so her clothes had to have been discarded somewhere. Cautiously, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and gripped the IV pole beside her. She placed one foot on the ground, then the other. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be standing, but she needed to make sure her notebook was safe. The information in it was obviously valuable, so she needed to keep it as close to her as possible. She slowly pressed herself up to her feet, and her body screamed at her with every movement. With a pained grunt, she straightened up to look around the room. She saw a bunch of monitors, a small night table, and a chair with Hopper’s jacket strewn across it, but her clothes-and her notebook- were nowhere in sight. 

“Dammit.” She huffed, nearly collapsing back on the bed. Losing the notebook meant that she lost the inscription on the desk, which could completely stop her from figuring out the book. 

“The goddamn book!” She exclaimed, shock and fear filling her mind. That damn Russian took the book. She leaned forward, holding her head in her hands as she exhaled a tired, angry breath. She needed to find her notebook, no matter what. 

With a deep breath, she hoisted herself back up to her feet. The pain in her head and ribs almost forced her back down, but she pushed through, bound and determined to find the notebook. With labored steps and painful grunts, she made her way to the door. She gripped the knob and swung it open, staggering out into the hallway. The hospital was quiet, and from the soft lighting in the hall she assumed it was the middle of the night or early morning. Grunting with the exertion, she pushed the IV pole along as she walked down the hall, eager to find a nurses station. She needed to find her notebook. 

“Sarah?” She heard Jim's voice from behind her, and she slowly turned around to see him running towards her, concern all over his face. 

“What the hell are you doing up?!” He asked, gripping her shoulders. 

“I-I have to find my notebook.” She stated simply, her voice raspy and pained. 

“You can get your stuff later; you have to rest now.” He urged; his brows furrowed with worry. 

“Jim, you don’t understand,” She groaned, reaching up to cup his face. “I need my notebook.” 

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of her meaning. But the intense look in her dark eyes gave him pause. He relented.

“If you go lay down, I’ll find your notebook.” He said, moving his hands to hers.

She looked up at him with slight suspicion, but she too relented.

“Please, Hop. I need it.” She pressed; her tone filled with urgency. 

“I’ll find it, don’t worry.” He reassured, leading her gently back to her room. 

Once he was certain she was going to rest, he charged down the hallway, searching for the nurses’ station. 

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” He asked, slapping both hands on the counter of the nurses’ station. The elderly nurse standing behind it eyed him with annoyance, but she put on a cordial smile.

“Sure thing.” She spoke. 

“I’m looking for a notebook,” Hopper said, “My uh-friend- lost her notebook when she was booked, and she needs it back.” 

“All personal belongings are put in their corresponding cubbies. Check the storage room down the hall.” The nurse replied, and Hopper thanked her for her help before taking off.

He made his way down the hall to the storage room and practically ripped the door open. He was greeted with multiple dressers labeled with their corresponding room number.

“Oh god, what’s her room number?” He muttered to himself, walking around the room. 11? 13? No, 12. He selected the drawer numbered 12, and was delighted to find the first thing on top of a pile of clothes was an emerald green notebook. Snatching the notebook and the pile of clothes, he made his way back to Sarah’s room.

“You’re gonna love me.” He smirked, opening the door to Sarah’s room.

“That so?” She replied, and he was relieved to see her back in bed. 

“Yup.” He said, presenting her with the notebook. 

“Oh Jim! You’re my hero.” She beamed as he handed her the notebook. 

“So what’s so special about this thing?” He asked, sitting back down on the chair beside her bed. 

“It’s related to that long story I was gonna tell you this weekend.” She stated, flipping through the notebook to make sure her notes were still there. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that were all intact. 

“So this is a good excuse to tell me the whole thing now, huh?” He said, his moustache twitching as he smirked.

“You may be right.” Sarah admitted, closing the book and turning to look at him.

“So?” 

"Settle in, It's a long story."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, chapter 8!! This is so awesome, I'm loving this story a ton. It's really keeping me sane through online school lol.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	9. I'm Fine, Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah and Hopper find a new lead.

“So lemme get this straight,” Hopper said, “The kids found this book with all this Latin shit written all over it, and they thought it meant that there was an entrance to hell in Hawkins, and they dragged you into it which led to you getting beat up by some Russian freak in the library.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Sarah agreed, taking a sip from her water cup. 

“That’s insane.” He said, laughing a little. 

“That’s what I thought, right up until that big freak rocked my shit into next week. Now I think there could be something to the kids’ theories.” She shrugged. 

“Normally, I wouldn’t agree with you,” Hopper stated, “But those Hawkins Electrical freaks have been weird for a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were up to some shit like that.” 

“I just need to translate this last phrase, and it might help up figure out what to do next.” Sarah said, opening the notebook to the page with the quote from the desk.

“Where did you learn how to read Latin?” Hopper asked, leaning over the guardrail to look at the notebook. 

“I picked it up as a hobby in university,” She replied. “Incidentally, I taught myself Russian there, too.” 

“So not only are you an incredible teacher, but you’re also a genius too.” Hopper chuckled.

“So I’m an incredible teacher now? I thought you said I was mean the last time we talked.” Sarah smirked, flicking her eyes up to meet his.

“Changed my mind. I figured that I should be nice to the woman who’s tutoring my kid for free.” 

“Not for free, you still owe me dinner at Enzo’s.” Sarah stated, poking his shoulder playfully.

“Which I’ll take you up on, the second that gash in your head heals,” He replied, “Also, I thought you said you didn’t want me to feel like I owed you.” 

“I did say that. I’m just really craving garlic bread right now,” She said. “Maybe it’s the brain damage.”

“You don’t have brain damage, I thought I told you not to joke about this.” 

“I can’t help it; I find humour everywhere I go.” 

“You’re brutal.” 

“But you’re still here, so I must not be as bad as you say.” Sarah smirked cheekily. 

“No, you’re not,” Hopper agreed. “You’re definitely not.” 

“So, let me try and translate this phrase and we’ll see if we can’t make something out of it.” She said, pulling a pencil out of the spine of the notebook and jotting down notes.

Hopper watched her as she worked, completely fascinated. She had just been nearly beaten to death, and now was working to find a solution to a question that may never be answered. He was in awe. 

“Ok, I have something.” She said after a few minutes. 

“Already?” Hopper asked, surprised.

“It’s a short phrase, and it’s not super complex,” Sarah explained. “But it sure is interesting.” 

“What’s it say?”

“‘There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery’.” She quoted, and Hopper’s face immediately fell. 

“What? Does it ring a bell?” She asked.

“Yeah, and I hate that it does.” He huffed. “Our Mayor said something similar in one of his recent speeches.” 

“He likes to include quotes from Dante in his speeches?” Sarah questioned, intrigued. 

“Yeah. He’s a pretty slimy guy.” Hopper stated, setting his jaw. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he got himself caught up in this shit.”

“Should we talk to him?” She asked, furrowing her brows as she looked up at Hopper.

“Not yet. We’ve got nothing to back up our suspicions. He’d just wiggle his way out.” The chief shrugged. 

“If only I had that book,” Sarah sighed. “There might have been other hints in it, something that could help us.” 

“Maybe we can get it back.” Hopper said, more to himself than anything. 

“How?”

“If the guy that attacked you worked for Hawkins Electrical, he might have taken the book back to their building,” He explained. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to root through that place for months, this would be a good one.” 

“If you’re going there, then I’m coming with you.” Sarah stated, setting her chin with determination.

“You’ve got a massive gash in your head and a broken rib. You’re not coming.” 

“Hop, you don’t even know what the book looks like,” She pushed herself up to a sitting position. “I can help you find it. Plus, I want to find that big Russian jerk and take my revenge.”

Hopper fixed her with a surprised yet impressed look before replying. “How ‘bout we wait until you’re not falling apart to go, hey?” 

“Okay.” She agreed. “How long am I supposed to be here?”

“The doctor said they want to keep you until tomorrow for observation.” 

“I don’t need to be observed.”

“No?”

“I’ve got a cut on my head and a broken rib; I’ll just rest at home for a few days. I don’t need to be in a hospital to heal.” 

Hopper heaved a sigh. While he admired her spunk, he also wished she would just rest. Seeing her so injured made him feel sick with worry, and he wanted her to heal as well as she could. 

“How about I talk to the doctor and ask if it’s ok for you to be let out?” He huffed, knowing that she wouldn’t give up easy.

She grinned proudly. “That sounds good to me.” 

“But you have to promise me that you’ll rest. In bed, at home. No moving.” He pointed at her; his voice filled with authority. 

“Fine.” She grimaced, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Ok. I’ll be right back.” 

As Hopper left the room, Sarah noticed that he had grabbed her clothes when he went to get her notebook. "I know that I’ll be good to go, so why don’t I get changed to save time?" She thought. The second she finished her thought, she swung her legs over the side of her bed and pulled herself to her feet. Ignoring the spell of dizziness and throbbing in her head, she advanced to the nightstand with her clothes on it, her left hand firmly gripping the IV pole. As she unfolded her shirt, she made the frustrating discovery that her IV would prevent her from putting it on. With an annoyed sigh, she slumped her shoulders in defeat and returned to sit on her bed. 

She waited for a little while, staring blankly at the painting on the wall in front of her. It was one of those stock art paintings, and she regarded it with disdain. It’s bright colour-scheme and abstract style annoyed her, and she felt herself becoming antsy. She had to leave soon. She bounced her legs idly, feeling like time had slowed to a stop. What if the doctor made her stay? What if that Russian found her there and decided to finish the job? Her anxious thoughts became louder with every passing second, and she found herself exhaling a deep breath of relief when Hopper re-entered the room, the Doctor in tow. 

“Good morning, Miss Jones.” The doctor smiled a genuine, if tired smile. “Chief Hopper tells me you feel good enough to go home.” 

The doctor was an older woman, with cropped grey hair and heavy makeup. She had a kind look about her, and Sarah felt a little more at ease with her there.

“Yes I do! I think I just really need to get home. Is that possible?” She asked, hoping the answer was yes.

“Well, other than the laceration on your head, your broken rib, and bruised windpipe, you’ve got nothing pressing that needs to be looked at.” The Doctor stated, reading through Sarah’s chart. “I can discharge you, but you must be sure to get plenty of rest. I’ll make sure to get a prescription for any pain for you too. You can pick it up at the nurses’ station on your way out.”

“That sounds perfect. Thanks, doc.” Sarah said, relieved. 

“I’ll just remove your IV and you can be on your way.”

The doctor quickly removed Sarah’s IV and said goodbye to both her and Hopper, making sure to reiterate that Sarah needed to rest as she left the room.

“I’ll give you a sec to change.” Hopper said, following the doctor out of the room. “I’ll be out here when you’re ready.” 

Sarah nodded, and the second he closed the door she ripped her gown off, grunting from the pain in her rib as she lifted her arms. She dressed herself delicately and cautiously, trying not to trigger anymore throbs of pain as she moved. Once she was fully dressed, she made sure to grab her notebook from the bed. She held it tight against her chest, silently vowing to herself that she wouldn’t let it out of her sight again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! It's been a little while. I've been super swamped with school and everything, but I was super stoked to get a free minute to post the next chapter of this series! I've loved reading your comments thus far, and I hope you like this chapter as much as the last ones! 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading :) I've been re-watching Stranger things and re-reading Dante's Inferno, so naturally I figured that they would make a pretty interesting crossover! 
> 
> Let me know what you think! I thrive off the validation of other people lol.


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